Version at: 26/04/2013, 22:14 vs. version at: 29/04/2013, 01:44
11#A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors
2
3
4## Message to Admin
5
6TODO: I'd suggest reverting this back to the more concise, shorter, easier-to-quickly-scan version.
7
8Then, instead, have Alan write detailed explanations that he feels are necessary on the [/articles/show/guidelines](guidelines) page.
9
10Once you start adding too much detail to this page, it ceases to be a "quick start guide."
11
12
213
314## The Aims of the Tatoeba Project
415
516* Briefly, ...
617
718 * We are collecting sentences and their translations into other languages.
819
920 * Sentences we create are used by [various projects](http://a4esl.com/temporary/tatoeba/links.html) under the Creative Commons - Attribution 2.0 license.
1021
1122## The 6 Basic Rules
23
24
25
26
1227 You can click the links to read **[Translations]** or read the **[Source]** documentation.
1328
14291. We want complete sentences.
1530
1631 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611372)      [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule1)
1732
18332. Don't change sentences that are correct.
1934
2035 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611373)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule5)
2136 - By correct we mean both grammatically correct AND natural-sounding.
2237
23383. Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.
2439
2540 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611374)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule8)
2641
27424. We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.
2843
2944 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611375)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule4)
3045 _Of course, we don't want computer translations._
3146
32475. Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.
3348
3449 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611376)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule3)
3550
36516. Don't put annotations within your sentences.
3752
3853 * [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611377)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule9)
3954
4055 In other words, don't do this kind of thing:
4156
4257 - "It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)" **bad**
4358
4459 - "I like her/him." **bad**
4560
4661In the first example, the inclusion of the parenthetical explanation "(idiom)" should be omitted, since it would not occur in natural use of a language. Such a note could be added to the comments instead.
4762
4863In the second example, the use of "her/him" leads to an unnatural sentence, one that tries to effectively cram two sentences into one in a way that would not be done in speech or writing (where you would know the gender of the person being discussed). The correct thing to do would be to add two sentences:
4964
5065 - "I like her."
5166
5267 - "I like him."
5368
5469
5570For more details:
5671
5772* Read our blog entry on [how to be a good contributor](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html).
5873
5974* Read our blog entry about [our submission policy](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/08/submission-policy-what-kind-of-content.html).
6075<a name="users"></a>
6176
6277## Things a Contributor Can Do
6378
64791. You can **translate a sentence** by clicking on this icon ![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png) whenever you see it.
6580 * Please do not forget **capital letters** and **punctuation.**
6681
67822. You can add **alternate translations**. (![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png))
6883
6984 * If you feel there are several possible translations, you can add them all.
7085 * Just make sure you are adding the translations to the other language. (In other words, don't add an English translation to an English sentence.)
7186
72873. You can **proofread sentences** and "adopt" (![](http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434)) sentences that you think are good.
7388
7489 * If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.
7590
7691 * Generally speaking, "owned" sentences are more likely to be error free, especially if owned by a native speaker (as requested, "[adopt any 'orphan' sentence you see in your native language, and correct it if necessary.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/activities/adopt_sentences/eng)")
7792
7893 * _I suggest only adopting sentences that seem 100% natural to you. If it seems "less than natural," don't adopt it._
7994
80954. You can **correct mistakes** that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.
8196
8297 * To do this, ...
8398
8499 * Adopt the "orphan" ("unowned") sentence.
85100
86101 * Then click the text to edit it.
87102
88103 * Then, optionally, "unown" (<a>![Let go](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/let_go.png "Let go")</a>) the sentence if you want others to be able to easily edit it again.
89104
90105 * Special Note
91106
92107 * Tatoeba.org prefers that you DO NOT CHANGE any sentence that could be considered correct. Of course if does not sound natural to you, you can change it.
93108
94109 * Instead of changing correct sentences, you should add an alternate translation.
95110
961115. You can **add comments to sentences**.
97112
98113 * If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.
99114
100115 * If you see something that seems strange or you don't understand, you can leave a comment and someone may explain it to you.
101116
102117 * If you find things that are absolute nonsense or are not sentences, you can leave a comment alerting moderators that perhaps the item should be deleted.
103118
1041196. You can **add new sentences**.
105120
106121 * The best approach is to search first to make sure the sentence is not already in the database.
107122
108123 * Search with the sentence in quotes to find exact matches.
109124
110125 * LIKE THIS: "I have a dog."
111126
112127 * NOT:  I have a dog. For more information, read the [FAQ](http://tatoeba.org/eng/faq).
113128
114129## Register and Become a Member
115130
116131* If you haven't already done so, after reading this page, [register](http://tatoeba.org/eng/users/register).
117132
118133* It's also a good idea to you write your native language and the languages you translate from in your profile.
119134
120135* You don't need to register, if you aren't planning to contribute. Just [go to the main page](http://tatoeba.org/eng/home) and start looking around.
121136
122137## Warning! There are errors!
123138
124139* Briefly,
125140
126141 1. Some sentences **sound unnatural** and are likely contributed by members who are overconfident in their abilities in their non-native langauges.
127142
128143 2. Some sentences use **archaic and/or old-fashioned** language and perhaps aren't really suitable for people learning a foreign language.
129144
130145 3. Some sentences contain **grammar and vocabulary errors**.
131146
132147 4. Some linked sentences **may not be good translations**.
133148
134149 5. For more details, read the [Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project](http://www.manythings.org/corpus/warningtatoeba.html).
135150
136151## Recommendation
137152
138153* To help maintain the quality of our sentences, I recommend that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language. I also recommend that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.
139154
140155* To learn more about this, read the following page.
141156[Is it OK to submit sentences in my non-native language?](http://bit.ly/tatoebafaq#faq201)
142157_(Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)_
143158
144159
145160 [1]: http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434 "adopt"
diff view generated by jsdifflib

Version at: 26/04/2013, 22:14

#A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors 

## The Aims of the Tatoeba Project

*   Briefly, ...

    *   We are collecting sentences and their translations into other languages.

    *   Sentences we create are used by [various projects](http://a4esl.com/temporary/tatoeba/links.html) under the Creative Commons - Attribution 2.0 license.

## The 6 Basic Rules
 You can click the links to read **[Translations]** or read the **[Source]** documentation.

1.  We want complete sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611372)      [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule1)

2.  Don't change sentences that are correct.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611373)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule5)
 - By correct we mean both grammatically correct AND natural-sounding.

3.  Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611374)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule8)

4.  We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611375)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule4)
 _Of course, we don't want computer translations._

5.  Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611376)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule3)

6.  Don't put annotations within your sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611377)     [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule9)
 
  In other words, don't do this kind of thing:

  - "It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)" **bad**
  
  - "I like her/him." **bad**

In the first example, the inclusion of the parenthetical explanation "(idiom)" should be omitted, since it would not occur in natural use of a language. Such a note could be added to the comments instead. 

In the second example, the use of "her/him" leads to an unnatural sentence, one that tries to effectively cram two sentences into one in a way that would not be done in speech or writing (where you would know the gender of the person being discussed). The correct thing to do would be to add two sentences:

  - "I like her."

  - "I like him."


For more details:

*   Read our blog entry on [how to be a good contributor](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html).

*   Read our blog entry about [our submission policy](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/08/submission-policy-what-kind-of-content.html).
<a name="users"></a>

## Things a Contributor Can Do

1.  You can **translate a sentence** by clicking on this icon ![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png) whenever you see it.
    *   Please do not forget **capital letters** and **punctuation.**

2.  You can add **alternate translations**. (![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png))

    *   If you feel there are several possible translations, you can add them all.
    *   Just make sure you are adding the translations to the other language. (In other words, don't add an English translation to an English sentence.)

3.  You can **proofread sentences** and "adopt" (![](http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434)) sentences that you think are good.

    *   If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.

        *   Generally speaking, "owned" sentences are more likely to be error free, especially if owned by a native speaker (as requested, "[adopt any 'orphan' sentence you see in your native language, and correct it if necessary.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/activities/adopt_sentences/eng)")

        *   _I suggest only adopting sentences that seem 100% natural to you. If it seems "less than natural," don't adopt it._

4.  You can **correct mistakes** that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.

    *   To do this, ...

        *   Adopt the "orphan" ("unowned") sentence.

            *   Then click the text to edit it.

            *   Then, optionally, "unown" (<a>![Let go](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/let_go.png "Let go")</a>) the sentence if you want others to be able to easily edit it again.

    *   Special Note

        *   Tatoeba.org prefers that you DO NOT CHANGE any sentence that could be considered correct. Of course if does not sound natural to you, you can change it.

        *   Instead of changing correct sentences, you should add an alternate translation.

5.  You can **add comments to sentences**.

    *   If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.

        *   If you see something that seems strange or you don't understand, you can leave a comment and someone may explain it to you.

        *   If you find things that are absolute nonsense or are not sentences, you can leave a comment alerting moderators that perhaps the item should be deleted.

6.  You can **add new sentences**.

    *   The best approach is to search first to make sure the sentence is not already in the database.

      *   Search with the sentence in quotes to find exact matches.

            *   LIKE THIS: "I have a dog."

            *   NOT:&nbsp; I have a dog. For more information, read the [FAQ](http://tatoeba.org/eng/faq).

## Register and Become a Member

*   If you haven't already done so, after reading this page, [register](http://tatoeba.org/eng/users/register).

*   It's also a good idea to you write your native language and the languages you translate from in your profile.

*   You don't need to register, if you aren't planning to contribute. Just [go to the main page](http://tatoeba.org/eng/home) and start looking around.

## Warning! There are errors!

*   Briefly,

  1.  Some sentences **sound unnatural** and are likely contributed by members who are overconfident in their abilities in their non-native langauges.

  2.  Some sentences use **archaic and/or old-fashioned** language and perhaps aren't really suitable for people learning a foreign language.

  3.  Some sentences contain **grammar and vocabulary errors**.

  4.  Some linked sentences **may not be good translations**.

  5.  For more details, read the [Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project](http://www.manythings.org/corpus/warningtatoeba.html).

## Recommendation

*   To help maintain the quality of our sentences, I recommend that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language. I also recommend that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.

*   To learn more about this, read the following page.
[Is it OK to submit sentences in my non-native language?](http://bit.ly/tatoebafaq#faq201)
_(Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)_ 


  [1]: http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434 "adopt"

version at: 29/04/2013, 01:44

#A Quick Start Guide for New Contributors 


## Message to Admin

TODO: I'd suggest reverting this back to the more concise, shorter, easier-to-quickly-scan version.

Then, instead, have Alan write detailed explanations that he feels are necessary on the [/articles/show/guidelines](guidelines) page.

Once you start adding too much detail to this page, it ceases to be a "quick start guide."



## The Aims of the Tatoeba Project

*   Briefly, ...

    *   We are collecting sentences and their translations into other languages.

    *   Sentences we create are used by [various projects](http://a4esl.com/temporary/tatoeba/links.html) under the Creative Commons - Attribution 2.0 license.

## The 6 Basic Rules




 You can click the links to read **[Translations]** or read the **[Source]** documentation.

1.  We want complete sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611372) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule1)

2.  Don't change sentences that are correct.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611373) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule5)
 - By correct we mean both grammatically correct AND natural-sounding.

3.  Don't add sentences from copyrighted sources.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611374) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule8)

4.  We want natural-sounding translations, not word-for-word direct translations.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611375) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule4)
 _Of course, we don't want computer translations._

5.  Make a good translation of the sentence that you are translating. Don't let translations into other languages influence you.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611376) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule3)

6.  Don't put annotations within your sentences.

    *   [[Translations]](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/611377) &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Source]](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html#rule9)
 
  In other words, don't do this kind of thing:

  - "It's raining cats and dogs. (idiom)" **bad**
  
  - "I like her/him." **bad**

In the first example, the inclusion of the parenthetical explanation "(idiom)" should be omitted, since it would not occur in natural use of a language. Such a note could be added to the comments instead. 

In the second example, the use of "her/him" leads to an unnatural sentence, one that tries to effectively cram two sentences into one in a way that would not be done in speech or writing (where you would know the gender of the person being discussed). The correct thing to do would be to add two sentences:

  - "I like her."

  - "I like him."


For more details:

*   Read our blog entry on [how to be a good contributor](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/02/how-to-be-good-contributor-in-tatoeba.html).

*   Read our blog entry about [our submission policy](http://blog.tatoeba.org/2010/08/submission-policy-what-kind-of-content.html).
<a name="users"></a>

## Things a Contributor Can Do

1.  You can **translate a sentence** by clicking on this icon ![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png) whenever you see it.
    *   Please do not forget **capital letters** and **punctuation.**

2.  You can add **alternate translations**. (![](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/translate.png))

    *   If you feel there are several possible translations, you can add them all.
    *   Just make sure you are adding the translations to the other language. (In other words, don't add an English translation to an English sentence.)

3.  You can **proofread sentences** and "adopt" (![](http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434)) sentences that you think are good.

    *   If a sentence is "unowned," you can adopt it.

        *   Generally speaking, "owned" sentences are more likely to be error free, especially if owned by a native speaker (as requested, "[adopt any 'orphan' sentence you see in your native language, and correct it if necessary.](http://tatoeba.org/eng/activities/adopt_sentences/eng)")

        *   _I suggest only adopting sentences that seem 100% natural to you. If it seems "less than natural," don't adopt it._

4.  You can **correct mistakes** that you find, if the sentence is not "owned" by another user.

    *   To do this, ...

        *   Adopt the "orphan" ("unowned") sentence.

            *   Then click the text to edit it.

            *   Then, optionally, "unown" (<a>![Let go](http://flags.tatoeba.org/img/let_go.png "Let go")</a>) the sentence if you want others to be able to easily edit it again.

    *   Special Note

        *   Tatoeba.org prefers that you DO NOT CHANGE any sentence that could be considered correct. Of course if does not sound natural to you, you can change it.

        *   Instead of changing correct sentences, you should add an alternate translation.

5.  You can **add comments to sentences**.

    *   If you find a mistake, but it's "owned" by another user, then leave a comment telling the "owner" how it can be corrected.

        *   If you see something that seems strange or you don't understand, you can leave a comment and someone may explain it to you.

        *   If you find things that are absolute nonsense or are not sentences, you can leave a comment alerting moderators that perhaps the item should be deleted.

6.  You can **add new sentences**.

    *   The best approach is to search first to make sure the sentence is not already in the database.

      *   Search with the sentence in quotes to find exact matches.

            *   LIKE THIS: "I have a dog."

            *   NOT:&nbsp; I have a dog. For more information, read the [FAQ](http://tatoeba.org/eng/faq).

## Register and Become a Member

*   If you haven't already done so, after reading this page, [register](http://tatoeba.org/eng/users/register).

*   It's also a good idea to you write your native language and the languages you translate from in your profile.

*   You don't need to register, if you aren't planning to contribute. Just [go to the main page](http://tatoeba.org/eng/home) and start looking around.

## Warning! There are errors!

*   Briefly,

  1.  Some sentences **sound unnatural** and are likely contributed by members who are overconfident in their abilities in their non-native langauges.

  2.  Some sentences use **archaic and/or old-fashioned** language and perhaps aren't really suitable for people learning a foreign language.

  3.  Some sentences contain **grammar and vocabulary errors**.

  4.  Some linked sentences **may not be good translations**.

  5.  For more details, read the [Warning About the Sentences from the Tatoeba Project](http://www.manythings.org/corpus/warningtatoeba.html).

## Recommendation

*   To help maintain the quality of our sentences, I recommend that you only translate from a non-native language into your native language. I also recommend that you should be careful to only translate from sentences "owned" by native speakers. This helps to avoid problems.

*   To learn more about this, read the following page.
[Is it OK to submit sentences in my non-native language?](http://bit.ly/tatoebafaq#faq201)
_(Note: This is not the official policy of the Tatoeba Project. However, many people would agree with this.)_ 


  [1]: http://tatoeba.org/img/adopt.png?1271500434 "adopt"

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The lines in green are the lines that have been added in the new version. The lines in red are those that have been removed.

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